On July 1, 2021, twenty-eight patient advocacy groups submitted a letter demonstrating their support for the BIOSIM Act (H.R. 2815). The legislation was introduced on April 22, 2021 with the purpose of increasing Medicare payments for biosimilars for a five-year period. The letter praises the BIOSIM Act as “critical to…
On November 12, 2020, Genentech filed a complaint in the Eastern District of Texas alleging that the Centus Biotherapeutics, Ltd., Fujifilm Kyowa Kirin Biologics Co., Ltd., Fujifilm Corp., and Kyowa Kirin Co, Ltd. (collectively, Centus) proposed biosimilar to Genentech’s AVASTIN (bevacizumab) product infringes 10 U.S. patents. Yesterday, the parties filed a Joint…
On June 15, 2021 Alvotech announced that data collection has been completed from the last of its 568 clinical trial study participants in AVT02-GL-302, a switching study for AVT02, the company’s biosimilar to high concentration (100mg/mL) Humira®. The switching study compared the pharmacokinetics, efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of AVT02 (40…
This week, three development programs announced updates to their ranibizumab biosimilars. Ranibizumab is the active ingredient in Genentech’s LUCENTIS, which is indicated for retinal vascular disorders, including neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD). On June 25, 2021, Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltd. (“Samsung Bioepis”) and Biogen Inc. (“Biogen”) announced that the…
The U.S. health insurance provider Cigna has provided a financial incentive to patients who switch to an infliximab biosimilar, through a one-time $500 debit card for health care services and products called the “Shared Savings Program.” Cigna has promoted this program as a way to promote biosimilar use and reduce…
Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a fully integrated pharmaceutical company headquartered in Bridgewater, NJ, announced last week that the U.S. FDA has accepted its aBLA seeking approval of a biosimilar of Avastin® (bevacizumab). This biosimilar was developed in collaboration with Spain-based biopharmaceutical company mAbxience, which had obtained approval earlier this year to…
In the long-awaited decision in United States v. Arthrex, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board is unconstitutionally structured, but held that the correct remedy is more limited than the one the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit had granted. Instead of…
On June 16, 2021, the District Court for the District of Delaware issued a claim construction order construing a key term in the ongoing patent dispute between Amgen and Hospira over Hospira’s proposed biosimilar of Amgen’s Neulasta® (pegfilgrastim). In the Order, the Court construed the term “between about 0.1 M…
Global pharmaceutical company Lupin Limited recently announced that the U.S. FDA has accepted its aBLA for a proposed pegfilgrastim biosimilar (reference product Neulasta®). Lupin reported that the aBLA submission was supported by similarity data from analytical, pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and immunogenicity studies. Company CEO Vinita Gupta commented, “FDA’s acceptance of our…
As we previously reported, earlier this year Merck announced that it would be spinning off its women’s health, biosimilars, and established brands businesses into a standalone company. This month, Merck completed the spinoff, creating Organon. Organon’s portfolio contains about 60 treatments and products, and mainly focuses on ex-US markets. Organon…